1 Response to Guest blog article – An appreciation of America and Britain

1. terrepruitt says:

   March 21, 2013 at 9:20 pm

   I’m commenting here, regarding your post over there! 🙂

   Ha, ha, ha. Well, there ARE actually rules in America regarding driving, just as you state there are rules in the UK. I think the difference here is that not everyone follows them.

   And, please, please, please be careful, because, here, in California, you can turn RIGHT on a red only after having coming to a full and complete stop (that is really what stopping is — full and complete), but you cannot legally turn left on a red. EVER.

   “Excuse me” doesn’t require contact. I say “excuse me” when I am walking in front of someone — say in the grocery store. Their eyes on fixed on the shelves and they are reading/looking/deciding (who knows) and me walking in front of them is interrupting them, so I say, “Excuse me.” I don’t have to bump someone to say excuse me. It could also be used when trying to get someone’s attention. And, yes, if someone bumps me or cuts me off and doesn’t say sorry or excuse me, then yes, I say, “EXCUSE ME!”

   I don’t care for the “How are you?” “How is it going?”, etc. as a form of greeting. I don’t think that is genuine. I like to give a greeting and THEN as we are talking ask how someone is doing because, yeah, I want to know. I knew someone in school who didn’t say hello he said, “Howyadoin'” as he ran past you in the hall. So odd.

   In the area in which I live any street that you can walk on to go to a restaurant and a store, has WAY TOO HIGH of rent for the local grocery or dry cleaner. So our “downtowns” where people walk are usually to stroll and shop not do everyday errands. Some cities are walking cities, but not many. The suburbs makes the sprawl. The huge neighborhoods where a line of stores just doesn’t fit. So we have to drive to anything.

   The United States is so young we don’t have a lot of “old” stuff and history that you find “across the pond”. I have never been to the UK, but I was in Greece, Italy, and Turkey and it was amazing to walk on walks (of a fortress) and on streets that were older than the United States! I love Europe because of the “old” and the history. I can see why you miss it. I didn’t realize the power of it until I had visited some “old” stuff.

   Funny. Seems like drinking often leads to either/or nudity and swearing. Or both! Ha.

   Interesting your take. Thanks for sharing.

   Reply

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